That sounds like a pretty solid bike, still light years ahead of my Trek. How's the Flaanimal working out? Is it really good and worth it?

I absolutely love it so far!
Just this past weekend I went on my longest ride ever, 88 miles 80-85% unpaved, and I don't have a single complaint about it. Even when I got caught up in some deep, nasty, sticky mud it still performed terrific without any shifting or braking issues afterward.

With smaller companies, you are going to pay a bit more than you would from a bigger company for a similarly spec'd bike, but I definitely think it is worth the premium.